About Us

Funding for the Secure Pork Supply (SPS) Plan and website was provided primarily by USDA APHIS VS National Preparedness and Incident Coordination (NPIC) Center.

Additional funding was provided by The Pork Checkoff.

The SPS website is maintained by Iowa State University, Center for Food Security and Public Health.

The Secure Pork Supply Plan involves collaboration between the swine industry, state and federal government officials, and two universities: Iowa State University and University of Minnesota, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety.

SPS Partners

Iowa State University, Center for Food Security and Public Health

Director, Center for Food Security and Public Health
Director, Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics

2156 College of Veterinary Medicine
Email

Dr. James Roth is the Clarence Hartley Covault Distinguished Professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa.  He is the Director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health and the Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics. Dr. Roth’s primary area of research expertise is immunity to infectious diseases of food producing animals, emphasizing evaluation of T cell mediated immunity.  He has led the development of a course on Emerging and Exotic Diseases of Animals which is used by students at all of the US Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and has been translated into Spanish for use in Latin America. He has authored or co-authored over 150 publications in refereed journals. Dr. Roth has contributed 33 chapters to monographs, and has edited 12 monographs and one textbook. He has served as the major or co-major professor for 49 MS and PhD students. Dr. Roth received the Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist Award from the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists and the Distinguished Veterinary Microbiologist Award from the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists. He has testified before Congress on biosecurity preparedness and efforts to address bioterrorism and agroterrorism. Dr. Roth currently serves on the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity.  Dr. Roth received his PhD (1981) and MS (1979) degrees in veterinary microbiology from Iowa State University, and his DVM (1975) also from Iowa State University. He is a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (ACVM).

National Pork Board

Director of Swine Health, National Pork Board

Email

Dr. Petersen received her BS in Animal Science in 2017 and her DVM in 2021 from Iowa State University. She also received her MPH from the University of Iowa in 2021. After veterinary school, Dr. Petersen was a post-doctoral research associate for the Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC) at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where she focused on applied swine research, teaching veterinary students and pork producers, and clinical swine medicine. In 2024, she joined the National Pork Board as a Director of Swine Health.

University of Minnesota, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS)

USDA National Preparedness and Incident Coordination Center (NPIC)